Marine Turtle & Youth Environment Education

General Info

Grupo Ecológico de la Costa Verde, A.C. is a Mexican Non-profit, Civil Association dedicated to the protection of the natural environmental.

With special interest in the protection of the Marine Turtle and Youth Environmental Education. We are a hard working, turtle first, conservation group and not in the Ecotour business.

SPECIES: Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivia) - Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) - Eastern Pacific Green Turtle (Cholera agassizi).

HABITAT: Marine-Tropical-Coastal.

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Central Pacific Coast of Mexico.

TRAVEL INFORMATION: By airplane to Puerto Vallarta; a member of the group will pick you up at the Airport, or bus from Puerto Vallarta, north to San Francisco, or San Pancho.

DURATION: One month minimum, five months are ideal.

PERIOD: From June 15th to November 15th.

AGE: Min. 18.

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS: No special skills are required to work within the marine turtle program, although volunteers should be willing to work 3 to 4 nights a week in occasional heavy rain, and operate a Volkswagen dune buggy over rough, muddy roads. Youth education instructors must speak Spanish, so volunteers must be enthusiastic, efficient, willing to work as part of a team, able to deal with the public, and have a sense of humour.

VOLUNTEERS WORK: Collect marine turtle nests between 9am?6pm, 5?7 nights/week; maintain records on relocation and/or collection of nests, temperatures, hatchlings released and nest cleaning; teaching and lectures.

LANGUAGE: English (with some Spanish) is needed for Marine Turtle Project.
Spanish (with some English) for teaching.

ACCOMMODATION: Please see "Cost" section below.

COST: Volunteers are not required to pay any fees except their own accommodation and living expenses Accommodation: In some cases free lodging is available, or rooms rent for US$40/week, or single home US$125±/month (depending on type and if it shared with others).Food: approx. US$30-40/week.

LONG TERM: Long-term positions possible for outstanding volunteers.

APPLICATION: By e-mail or telephone.